The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is just about pure perfection and another example of Napa Valley magic. All Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 80% new French oak, it offers an incredible bouquet of pure cassis and blackberry fruits as well as textbook Pauillac-like notes of graphite, tobacco, toasted spices, and chalky minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and powerful, it's one of those wines that somehow marries incredible intensity and richness with no sensation of weight or heaviness, perfect balance, and a layered, multi-dimensional style that's hard to describe. It shows more tannins and chocolaty oak with air and needs to be forgotten for 4-6 years, and it will be a 40+-year wine. It's heavenly juice.

Marking the producer's 25th anniversary, this is a tremendous powerhouse of a wine that's sinewy, sophisticated and youthfully shy. Rich truffle, cassis and black cherry meet undeniable earthiness and savory spice, with a touch of plushness on the palate that's still gripped in tannin. Enjoy 2029-2039.

Altogether much more serious than Lail's Blueprint bottling (and priced accordingly), the 2019 J. Daniel Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon comes primarily from the Vine Hill Ranch, Dutch Canyon (Heimark) and Steltzner Vineyards. Marked by deep, seductive scents of cassis and rich loam, accented by hints of cedar and dried sage, it's full-bodied, concentrated and rich, finishing long, velvety, seamless and elegant. Pretty special stuff.

From Mole Hill Vineyard on Howell Mountain, Heimark in Calistoga, Vine Hill Ranch in Oakville and Steltzner in Stags Leap. Each site is vinified separately with racking every six months and blended for up to 12 months before bottling. Alluring black fruit aromas with dried herbs and cedar spice. Full-bodied with rich, decadent layers of blackberry and black cherry to pops of blue fruit all woven around rich spices supported by cedar-plank tannins. A lot of joy here.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon J. Daniel Cuvee is a total knock-out. Deep, vertical and explosive, the 2019 possesses tremendous vertical intensity and tons of sheer class. Inky dark fruit, graphite cloves, licorice and sweet French oak infuse the 2019 with tremendous complexity to complement its sheer opulence. Vineyard sites are Vine Hill Ranch, Heimark, Stelzner and Mole Hill. The 2019 is one of the best editions ever.